Pro or con? Should Jillian’s become a church?

The former Jillian's is 37,000 square feet and listed at $1.6 million. Times Union Archive

While the debate over what to do with shuttered churches continues, the Christian evangelicals of White Couch Albany are looking to turn the former Jillian’s nightclub into a place for worship and community building.
See Jordan Carleo-Evangelist’s first story here, and his follow up -the city kicked them out – here. What do you think? Is a place of worship the best use of the Jillian’s building?

36 Responses

It’s a shame, many of the old church buildings have a character, craftsmanship, and outstanding design. But, the maintenance can be a huge drain. It’s nice to see a successful reuse of an existing structure, and I’m all for it, as long as its not being artificially supported with public funding and incentives. Brewpub into an old church? Go ahead, I imagine you have enough vision and capital to make a go of it. Reuse a restaurant and bar? Turn it into some tax generating businesses and a church? Again, why not? Better than another vacant building draining the neighborhood and the owner.

@Person of Interest – “So how did you then come to the conclusion that I got the answer I was specifically looking for?”

As I said in my last comment, if I was wrong, I apologize. I still don’t think I was. 99% of the time, when someone brings up the question about a mosque vs. church, it’s that same kind of paranoid thinking that there’s some anti-Christian movement in America. I’ll repeat this until I’m blue in the face (not that it will make any difference apparently): If I’m wrong, I apologize. The progression of your comments indicates this is not the case, however.

To answer your last question, for I believe the third time on my part and probably the 15th at least collectively: “How about this question “If the building were not tax exempt, would you be opposed to this being a church?”” Yes. We do not need any more tax exempt land in the city; we need far less. We also do not need any more churches in the city; we have enough.

I can think of a suitable vacant church located a few blocks up N. Pearl from Jillians. It seems to me that the purchase price for Jillians could go a long way toward renovating an existing church for new use.
Having White Couch just use the second or third floor of the building does nothing for the future of N. Pearl as a retail district. With the storefront sitting vacant, it does nothing to help draw customers to the area, which a retail establishment would. I don’t see how this will help create the kind of downtown Albany needs.

On the other hand… should a church become a frat house? The Troy city counsel just approved the first baptist church on 3rd street to become a frat house for rpi 55 or more students to live in. I pity the neighboring property owners.

Especially, the owner/seller of 79 3rd street right across the street from the church. It’s been on the market for 700 days!

They originally had the issue of the bums in pigeon park next to the church. No one wants to buy a house where winos and bums hang out 24/7 directly across the street. The owner of 79 3rd street got lucky when the city ripped out the benches and the bums found somewhere else to party.

Developer and nearby property owner Pfiel was a major complainer about the bums. Yet, he’s for 55+ college kids living in a church converted into a frat house? That doesn’t make sense. Where are they all going to park?

If the Democrats who run the city of Albany were even the slightest bit competent we would have heard a statement like the following one I made up from Albany Mayor Jerry Jennings.

“It is the goal of the City of Albany to have a thriving, prosperous downtown area with a variety of private businesses for people to shop in and eat at. Therefore, we feel that the idea of a church that doesn’t pay property taxes is a bad idea for such an ideal business location. We would prefer that a restaurant similar to Jilians, a restaurant that pays property taxes and sales taxes to the City of Albany, be at this location. Moreover, since the City of Albany has finally decided to allow private developers build high-rise condominiums, like the high-rise condominiums that practically every other city in the United States has had for decades, we feel that the THOUSANDS of new property tax and sales tax paying City of Albany condominium residents would want to eat in a restaurant at this location.”